PADANG SERAI: The multi-racial electorate in Padang Serai should use the parliamentary election to reject politics of hate.
Pakatan Harapan deputy chairman Mohamad Sabu said Malaysians should learn lessons from other Muslim nations which fall into prolonged crises due to failure to manage sentiments of hatred among the population.
"I think our people are trapped in the issue in the recent polls (15th General Election).
"We have seen how the "takfiri" issue (accusing others of being infidels) without facts but purely based on sentiment was circulated in YouTube recently is very worrying.
"This sentiment, if we fail to manage it properly, will lead us to what is happening in other Muslim nations. We do not want that to happen in our country.
"If we want to hate someone, hate the person for his wrongdoings, for the wrong things they have done, not because of their race," he said.
Mohamad, who is also Parti Amanah Nasional president said this to reporters after taking part in the first joint rally between Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional in Kedah held at Taman Desa Aman here last night.
Present were Kedah Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom, Amanah vice-president and Kedah PH chairman Datuk Mahfuz Omar and state PKR chief Datuk Johari Abdul.
During the rally, Jamil announced that the BN candidate for the Padang Serai parliamentary election was making way for PH candidate Dr Mohamad Sofee Razak.
Jamil said the move was to honour the formation of the unity government at federal level comprising PH, BN and other coalitions.
"We are part of the unity government, so our election machinery will be working together with PH in the campaign," he said.
The Padang Serai parliamentary seat was previously held by PH's M. Karupaiya when he secured a 8,813 vote-majority win, beating MCA candidate Datuk Dr Leong Yong Kong and Mohammad Sobri Osman from Pas in the previous general election.
Karupaiya, 69, was nominated again by PH on Nov 5 to defend the seat. However, he died on Nov 16, two days after being admitted to Kulim Hospital due to a heart attack while campaigning.
Following his death, the Election Commission had decided to postpone the Padang Serai polls to Dec 7.
Padang Serai has 133,767 eligible voters, with 81,230 of the voters in Lunas state constituency while the remaining 52,546 voters in Merbau Pulas constituency